Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Mary and Jacob Sogod

The earliest record found so far of Mary and Jacob are from the 1868 and 1870 Indian rolls.

Mary:
1868 May-yaw-waw-che-won, 0 men, 1 woman, 0 children, received $15.85 #44
1870 May-yaw-waw-che-won, 0 men, 1 woman, 0 children, received $15.30  #30  page 46

Jacob's father:
1868 Ke me waw nish cum, 1 man, 1 woman, 1 child, received $47.55 #19
1870 Ke me waw nish cum, 1 man, 1 woman, 1 child, received $45.90 #14 page 46

Jacob:
1868 - father only claims one child at home, but Jacob is not yet found on his own.
1870 Ne-so-kat, 1 man, 0 women, 0 children, received $15.30 #32 page 46


Kay-me-waw-nish-skung purchased on 26 Jun 1872  the E 1/2 of NE 1/4 of section 12, township 29 north, range 9 west. Document 1011.


The 1897 plat map shows Jacob owning land in section 6, township 29 north, range 8 west.



The 1900 census states Jacob Sogod was born Jan 1853 (age 47) in Michigan, full Ottawa, farmer, his parents were born in Michigan and were full Ottawa. Wife Mary is listed as being born in Feb 1845 (age 55) married 31 years, no children born. Mary and her parents are also full Ottawa, born in Michigan.


The 1908 durant roll field notes #32 page 46  Ne-so-kat, known as Jacob Sogot. Wife "on roll as 30/46, age 75 with the 7 written over a 5, resides Kewadin. States the couple had no children.


Durant Field Note #14 page 46 shows Jacob's father as Ke-me-waw-aish-cum, deceased.


Durant field note #30 page 46 is Maywawwawchewon, age 70, now wife of #32 page 46 [This is Mary].



The Kewadin Indian Mission records list both Mary and Jacob Sogott. Jacob is said to be brother of Peter White. Mary is listed as Catholic and it is said became Catholic while Koons was pastor (1908-1910).

 The 1910 Federal Census of Torch Lake township states Jacob is age 70, married once, married 30 years, speaks English and Indian, farmer while Mary is age 50, married once, married 30 years, speaks Indian.


The Traverse City Police Records 191-1916, page 211, state that on September 10 (year unknown) "Arrested Jacob Sogot and Robert McClenech,  DD [drunk and disorderly] then put them in city prison to sober up and let them out to leave town."





In 1920 the federal census has them back in Milton township, Jacob in 70 (same age as 10 years ago) and a farmer. Mary is now 80 (30 years older than in 1910). John George, 70, widowed, boarder, farm laborer is resided with the Sogods.




On 4 Jan 1925 the following article appears in the Battle Creek Enquirer



Photo of Jacob:
Photo of Mary:

Photos from Craig Bridson - taken circa 1920s, Kewadin.

Phyllis Brothers (cousin to Byrnece White below) remembered Mary. "She lived in the Indian church parsonage in back of my grandfather's place."

 "Jacob and Mary Sogot were very well known by the white settlers and lived and died where the present log cabin stands. He helped build the log cabin and church. Left no descendants. Died 1929."
[From "1865-1965 Milton Township Centennial"].

Percy Noble counted Jacob among his friends. "So God. No, I am not being profane. That was the honest-to-goodness name of one of my Indian friends. So God was a farmer as long as I knew him, prosperous or not, I don't know, but he was quite a character, sober most of the time, but getting a trifle polluted occasionally when he came to town. In spite of that, he lived to a good old age; he must have been close to the century mark, and his wife, too."[From "Noble Memories. A Firsthand Recollection of Northern Michigan's Lumber Boom Days" by Percy Noble of Elk Rapids, edited by Nancy Niblack Baxter, 1981. Page 150]

“When Mrs. Sogod got ill and was going to die, she wouldn't stay in her house. There was an old dilapidated table by our house. This was in October, cold, windy. She was out there, black clothes on, blowing in the wind, tattered – my gracious. She was going to die, she told me. She wouldn't die in her house.” Story from Byrnece White (nee Nelson) page 285. [From "Voices on the Water An Oral and Pictorial History of Antrim County's Chain of Lakes, A Northern Michigan Journal" by Glenn Ruggles, 1998]

On both 27 Jun 1927 and 27 Jun 1928 a story was published in the Traverse City Record Eagle about a treasure said to have been buried by Native American's on the farm land now owned by John Steiner. It tells of several Natives - Jacob Sogod, John Wabasquad and this younger brother Peter being questioned at the Elk Rapids bank in an attempt to discover the location of the buried gold. [Peter Wabasquad is the same man as Peter White who is identified as Jacob Sogod's brother in the Kewadin Indian Mission church records].


The meeting at the bank moved to Peter Wa-be-squah's house in Kewadin.


The location of the treasure was not found. Why the article appears on the same day a year apart is unknown.

Mary died 2 Dec 1929 (with her age given as about 116) and is buried in the Kewadin Indian Mission cemetery. [Her age is more likely 84 - to match her birth of 1845 on the 1900 census].



Mary's obituary was printed in the Benton Harbor News Palladium 4 Dec 1929. (Similar notice printed same day in Battle Creek Enquirer.) Her name is given as Mary Marks Sogod.



In the 1930 Federal Census,  Jacob is 81 and widowed, no occupation, still living in Milton township.



The Mancelona Herald of 17 Oct 1935 tells of Jacob's niece to her home in Petoskey to care for him.


Jacob died in Petoskey on 9 Sep 1939. His age is given as 104 years 2 months. [He has aged 23 years since the census of nine years prior. His true age is closer to 86 based on being 47 on the 1900 census]. Jacob is also buried in the Kewadin Indian Mission cemetery.


A death notice appeared in the Petoskey Evening News of 11 Sep 1939.







Copyright (c) 2016 Vicki Wilson

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